Locking system for container doors and the like

ABSTRACT

A door locking system for containers and the like, in combination comprising a tubular operating rod rotably mounted by supporting brackets externally of the door, and movable hooking elements at the opposite ends of said rod, by rotation each of the movable hooking elements engaging and desengaging a stationary hooking element. Each of the movable hooking elements is provided with a side leg having a top frusto-conical portion, an intermediate cylindrical portion, and a bottom portion for securing to said operating rod, the intermediate portion of the movable hooking element having extreme circumferential abutting collars for pivoting the element in a supporting bracket secured to said door.

Cerutti Oct. 14, 1975 LOCKING SYSTEM FOR CONTAINER DOORS AND THE LIKE Primary ExaminerRichard E. Moore Attorney, Agent, or FirmF1eit & Jacobson ABSTRACT A door locking system for containers and the like, in combination comprising a tubular operating rod rotably mounted by supporting brackets externally of the door, and movable hooking elements at the opposite ends of said rod, by rotation each of the movable hooking elements engaging and desengaging a stationary hooking element. Each of the movable hooking elements is provided with a side leg having a top frusto-conical portion, an intermediate cylindrical portion, and a bottom portion for securing to said operating rod, the intermediate portion of the movable hooking element having extreme circumferential abutting collars for pivoting the element in a supporting bracket secured to said door.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. atent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet2of2 3,912,312

LOCKING SYSTEM FOR CONTAINER DOORS AND THE LIKE This is a continuation of Ser. No. 297,682, filed Oct. 16, 1972, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a locking system for doors of containers, vans and the like in goods transportation, and more particularly improvements in or relating to pivoting and supporting systems for door locking devices of said containers.

The need for a system according to the invention has arisen from the occurrence of dust deposition, frictions and oxidation at the pivoting of said devices, particularly for road-transported containers, and corrosion for sea-transported containers.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a door locking system for general containers, having impermeability properties against generally liquids, dust, salt and external agents.

By the new system according to the invention, the device turning is always ensured by a through sliding condition of the pivoting surfaces which are fully insulated from the outside environment. Moreover, by suitable bushes of antifriction or self-lubricating material, and possibly adopting a grease chamber or cup, the through sliding condition of said pivoting surfaces can be improved and durably maintained.

In known systems, the locking stresses often are discharged on the control rods which are thereby subjected to combined bending and compressive stress.

Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a door locking system for general containers, comprising an end bracket assembly, on which the major portion of the stresses is substantially discharged, thereby considerably reducing the disadvantages due to combined bending and compressive stress.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a door locking system for containers and the like, which is substantially reinforced to shearing and bending stress without requiring complicated and expensive bracket assemblies.

A door locking system for containers and the like according to the invention, comprising in a combination a tubular operating rod rotably mounted by supporting brackets externally of the door, and movable hooking elements at the opposite ends of said rod, each of the movable hooking elements engaging and disengaging by rotation with a stationary hooking element, each of the movable hooking elements having a side leg with a top frusto-conical section, an intermediate cylindrical section, and a bottom section for attachment to said operating rod, the intermediate section having extreme circumferential abutting collars for pivoting said element to a supporting bracket secured to said door.

These and other features of the locking system according to the invention will be hereinafter more clearly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a general container incorporating a locking system according to the invention;

FIg. 2 is an enlarged front view of the top of the locking system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view for only the movable hooking element;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing a general container 1 having closure doors 2 and 3 laterally pivoted to the stationary structure or frame of said container.

One or both doors may provided with one or more locking systems, each of which including a top locking device, designated as a whole at 4, and a bottom locking device, designated as a whole at 5, these devices being controlled and connected to the opposite ends of a tubular operating rod 6, which is externally pivoted to the door by one or more intermediate brackets 7. A control handle 8, connected to said operating rod 6, enables the latter to rotate about its longitudinal axis. This handle 8 can be retained at a closed position, as shown in FIG. 1, by engagement with a stop element 9 which is secured to the door.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the locking devices comprises a stationary hooking element 10 made fast with the container structure or frame, and a movable hooking element 11 fast with one end of the operating rod 6, and capable of engaging and disengaging the stationary hooking element 10 by rotation of the rod. The hooking elements 10 and 11 for each of the locking devices may be of a configuration as that shown, for example, in an earlier patent application of the applicant.

As shown in FIG. 4, the movable hooking element for each of the locking devices has a side leg, designated as a whole at 12, having a top section 13 of a substantially frusto-conical shape with the minor base thereof facing element 11, connecting to an intermediate pivoting section 14, and finally a bottom section 15 for keying in said tubular operating rod 6 and secured, for example by welding, as shown in FIG. 2.

According to a first embodiment of the device according to the invention, the intermediate section 14 of said leg has two extreme circumferential abutting collars 16 and 16' for supporting and pivoting the leg 12 of the movable hooking element 11 between a pair of opposing brackets 17 and 18, respectively, (FIGS. 2 and 3) secured to a door, such as door 2 of container 1, by means of side bolts 19.

More particularly, said intermediate section 14 of the leg 12 for the movable hooking element has two cylindrical end sections 20 and 21, respectively, of a predetermined diameter, these sections being located between said abutting collars 16 and 16, and corresponding anular flanges 22 and 23, respectively, the latter being axially spaced apart from the two abutting collars 16 and 16' to define recessed housing seats for bushes 24 and 25 (FIG. 2), respectively, such as of antifriction or low friction coefficient material, whereby these bushes are interposed between said leg and supporting brackets 17 and 18.

The bushes 24 and 25, which are longitudinally divided into two parts, may be made of such materials as nylon, Delrin or Teflon or other self-lubricating material, or may be made of bronze, sinterized bronze or other antifriction material.

According to a further embodiment of the device according to the invention, the end sections 20 and 21 of the central portion of said leg could be of the same diameter as flanges 22 and 23, respectively, in order to avoid in such a case the use of the sliding bushes 24 and 25, where this should be required. In this case, and generally where a metal-to-metal contact occurs, the intermediate section 14 of the leg would have a central zone of a reduced diameter, so as to provide in conjunction with the opposite inner surfaces of the supporting brackets 17 and 18 a substantially anular chamber or cup 26, wherein grease or other lubricating means can be introduced. Thus, a through sliding condition between the metal contacting surfaces can be ensured. A suitable lubricating nipple (not shown) of any known type can provide for introducing the lubricating grease from the outside.

From the foregoing and as shown in the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated that provision has been made for a door locking system wherein, by an end bracket assembly directly provided on the legs of the movable element in the hooking device, the clamping the stresses are directly transmitted to the door without affecting the operating rod, thereby allowing a readier and more reliable locking. Moreover, the leg of the movable hooking element has been extended through a frusto-conical section between the top abutting collar and hook 11 in order to reinforce said leg against shearing and bending stresses without having to subsequently extend the brackets approximately up to the upper edge of the door.

What I claim is:

1. A door locking system for containers and the like wherein a pivoting door mounted on the frame of the container is adapted to be locked and unlocked relative to the frame by way of an operating rod, and wherein locking stresses are transmitted directly to the door rather than to the operating rod, the system comprising: a pair of spaced supporting bracket means for containing hooking elements on a closure door of the type which is laterally pivoted to a container frame, a pair of movable hooking elements, each pivotably mounted in one of said supporting bracket means, for transmitting locking stresses directly to the container door through its associated supporting bracket means, and for engaging the external surfaces of such supporting bracket means to seal the internal surfaces of the supporting bracket means from the external environment; said hooking elements being arranged to engage with stationary hooking elements of the type mounted on a container frame surrounding a container door; each said movable hooking element comprising a hook for selectively engaging and disengaging an associated stationary hooking element, and a leg joined with said hook, a first collar defined on said leg, an intermediate cylindrical portion joined on one end to said first collar, a second collar defined at the other end of the intermediate cylindrical portion, said intermediate cylindrical portion defining a pair of end sections and an intermediate section with a flange located between each end section and said intermediate section, and a bottom section joined at one end to said second collar with its other end free, the intermediate cylindrical portion of said leg of said movable hooking element being received within said supporting bracket means with said first and second collars in sealing engagement with the end external surfaces of said supporting bracket means, a bushing mounted on each end section of said intermediate cylindrical portion extending between said collar and said flange associated therewith and contacting the inner surface of said supporting bracket means to facilitate the pivotal action of said movable hooking element and to transmit locking stresses from said movable hooking element to said supporting bracket means, and a tubular operating rod receiving the free end of said bottom sections and fixedly interconnected with the second collars so that rotation of said movable hooking elements can be readily effected by said operating rod in a manner that locking stresses are isolated therefrom.

2. The door locking system defined in claim 1 wherein said leg comprises a top section of a substantially frusto-conical shape having the minor base thereof and wherein said first collar is defined at the major base of said frusto-conical top section. 

1. A door locking system for containers and the like wherein a pivoting door mounted on the frame of the container is adapted to be locked and unlocked relative to the frame by way of an operating rod, and wherein locking stresses are transmitted directly to the door rather than to the operating rod, the system comprising: a pair of spaced supporting bracket means for containing hooking elements on a closure door of the type which is laterally pivoted to a container frame, a pair of movable hooking elements, each pivotably mounted in one of said supporting bracket means, for transmitting locking stresses directly to the container door through its associated supporting bracket means, and for engaging the external surfaces of such supporting bracket means to seal the internal surfaces of the supporting bracket means from the external environment; said hooking elements being arranged to engage with stationary hooking elements of the type mounted on a container frame surrounding a container door; each said movable hooking element comprising a hook for selectively engaging and disengaging an associated stationary hooking element, and a leg joined with said hook, a first collar defined on said leg, an intermediate cylindrical portion joined on one end to said first collar, a second collar defined at the other end of the intermediate cylindrical portion, said intermediate cylindrical portion defining a pair of end sections and an intermediate section with a flange located between each end section and said intermediate section, and a bottom section joined at one end to said second collar with its other end free, the intermediate cylindrical portion of said leg of said movable hooking element being received within said supporting bracket means with said first and second collars in sealing engagement with the end external surfaces of said supporting bracket means, a bushing mounted on each end section of said intermediate cylindrical portion extending between said collar and said flange associated therewith and contacting the inner surface of said supporting bracket means to facilitate the pivotal action of said movable hooking element and to transmit locking stresses from said movable hooking element to said supporting bracket means, and a tubular operating rod receiving the free end of said bottom sections and fixedly interconnected with the second collars so that rotation of said movable hooking elements can be readily effected by said operating rod in a manner that locking stresses are isolated therefrom.
 2. The door locking system defined in claim 1 wherein said leg comprises a top section of a substantially frusto-conical shape having the minor base thereof and wherein said first collar is defined at the major base of said frusto-conical top section. 